So the kids they dance they shake their bones – Cause it’s all too clear we’re on our own – Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free – It’s dizzying, the possibilities. ashes, ashes all fall down

The study by the nonpartisan Rand Corp. also contends that the administration committed a fundamental error in portraying the conflict with al-Qaeda as a “war on terrorism.” The phrase falsely suggests that there can be a battlefield solution to terrorism, and symbolically conveys warrior status on terrorists, it said.

“Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors,” authors Seth Jones and Martin Libicki write in “How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al-Qaeda,” a 200-page volume released yesterday.

But the authors contend that al-Qaeda has sabotaged itself by creating ever greater numbers of enemies while not broadening its base of support. “Al-Qaeda’s probability of success in actually overthrowing any government is close to zero,” the report states.
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The authors call for a strategy that includes a greater reliance on law enforcement and intelligence agencies in disrupting the group’s networks and in arresting its leaders. They say that when military forces are needed, the emphasis should be on local troops, which understand the terrain and culture and tend to have greater legitimacy.

In Muslim countries in particular, there should be a “light U.S. military footprint or none at all,” the report contends.

“The U.S. military can play a critical role in building indigenous capacity,” it said, “but should generally resist being drawn into combat operations in Muslim societies, since its presence is likely to increase terrorist recruitment.”